Things Easier Than Keeping Calvin Johnson Out of the End Zone

Via Fantasy Tradar

Calvin Johnson used to be the NFL's most sympathetic figure. Exiled to the NFL's barren wasteland and subjected to passes from the likes of Jon Kitna and Dan Orlovsky, Johnson seemed to be a super hero in need of saving. Except he never asked to be saved and sure as hell didn't want our sympathy. In an environment that drove fellow talented wideouts Roy Williams and Charles Rogers mad -- or maybe they just weren't cut out for it from the beginning -- Johnson remained even-keeled and stayed the course. Maybe he knew his 10 offensive teammates would eventually turn in their dunce caps for officially licensed Detroit Lions helmets. Or maybe he figured there was a quarterback out there somewhere who wouldn't underthrow him 15 yards (Kitna) or overthrow him 15 yards (Orlovsky). Johnson knew from the beginning he could catch anything in the vicinity, it was just a matter of finding a quarterback who didn't define "vicinity" as one fifth of the football field.

Through the first four weeks of the 2011 season, Matthew Stafford is healthy and their defense is finally respectable enough to allow the Lions to open up the playbook on offense. Aided by these factors and a pretty weak schedule (it had to be said), the Lions are looking like a team primed for the Playoffs. Calvin Johnson is the most compelling story of the 2011 Lions season, but in a way not usually seen. Statistically, he's having a breakout season, even though his other four seasons were pretty impressive as well. The big difference this year is Johnson seems to be getting his numbers in accordance with the offense, not despite it. The talent has finally caught up around him, and his patience has payed off. Johnson has turned the popular narrative of perseverance upside down -- the belief in an organization against all odds versus the belief in self.  

Johnson has caught two touchdown passes in each of the Lions first four games. It's difficult to envision a situation in which the Bears are unable to stop him from grabbing two more. I present 25 things easier than keeping Calvin Johnson out of the end zone.

***  

Using chopsticks for the first time.

Watching a Fighting Illini game in its entirety and thinking, "I don't care what anyone says, this team deserves to be 6-0."

Spotting Theo Epstein in a Chicago Starbucks.

Doing a quick Google Image search of "Theo Epstein Wife," noticing Epstein's accomplice is not his wife, but you just wanted to out him as the next Cubs GM, not as an adulterer.

Getting high, eating one of everything from the Wendy's dollar menu, claiming your head is not attached to your body, and falling asleep within the hour.

Coming to a thorough understanding of Ghostface Killah's album, "Supreme Clientele."

Getting the icing on the Toaster Strudel to look like it does in the commercial.

Failing to find someone who, in the middle of mid-70s temperature bliss exclaims, "I just LOVE Fall."

Refraining from the "At least we don't live in Detroit" defense mechanism after the Bears lose tonight.

Respecting the hell out of Aaron Rodgers.

Executing a standing back flip in full pads after missing the first three games of the season due to a calf injury.

Watching Gone With the Wind in one sitting.

Enjoying Gone With the Wind.

Passing out drunk on your dorm room floor at 4 in the morning on Sunday and waking up in time to shower, shave, and eat breakfast before your 8 AM Monday class.

Pretending you couldn't stand The Backstreet Boys' Millenium album when it came out.

Answering your child's question with, "Because," because you don't know the answer to your child's question.

Praising Joe Buck for the way he seamlessly juggles NFL and MLB broadcasts year after year.

Convincing yourself your cleavage-bearing waitress is really into you and not just trying to get a better tip.

Reading Joe Posnanski and thinking, "I have what it takes to be a sports writer."

Engaging in a perfectly normal conversation with your boss.

Enjoying the three hours you just spent with your wife at IKEA -- on football Sunday.

Secretly rooting against your favorite team's players in favor of your fantasy team because "Your real team's season is over anyway."

Resisting the urge to buy 30 dartboards, print out pictures of each of the 30 NBA team owners, and tape a different owner's picture to each dartboard.

Resisting the urge to combine Coke and Pop Rocks. If such a beautiful combination is deadly, you don't want to be alive.

Discovering the true source of Calvin Johnson's powers. HINT: Check underneath the skull cap.

Calvin Johnson's (Non) Catch

Who knew that NFL fans would get a quick history lesson after Sunday's Week 1 action. The lesson of course being that any document, whether it's the US Constitution, Magna Carta, or NFL Rulebook is subject to interpretation. And when interpretation is involved, there's bound to be a winner and a loser. No strangers to losing, the Detroit Lions happened to get the short end of the stick (again) this time around.
The NFL rulebook states that in according for a catch to count, a player "must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground...If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete." In reference to end zones catches, the rules state, "if a player catches the ball while in the end zone, both feet must be completely on the ground before losing possession, or the pass is incomplete."
These two passages seem to contradict each other. The first part would seem to suggest that the call was the right one, that is, if you believe that when Johnson swung his arm around and lost control of the ball was part of the continuation of the catch. The referees clearly did.
On the other hand, the second quoted passage seems to suggest that it's ok for the receiver to lose the ball as long as he has established possession by getting his feet down. Johnson clearly got both feet down, then a knee, and his butt while maintaining possession, then lost the ball when it hit the ground. So which is it, did the fact that he went down in the end zone with possession make it a catch? Or is it only a catch if he follows through with every movement and still retains possession, even after being legally "down?"
Watch Johnson's (non) catch again and again like I have and determine for yourself.
Similar to the US Constitution, arguing about its interpretation usually doesn't accomplish anything. But let me comment on an aspect of Johnson's catch that no one is talking about.
It seems like everbody is disregarding the fact that Johnson made this already difficult catch a lot more difficult than he had to. Watch as Johnson grabs the ball with two hands over Bears defender Zach Bowman. He comes down on both feet and it's not until he begins to turn that he transfers the ball to his right hand. There was no reason to transfer the ball.
Obviously this all happened in less than a second, so it would have been difficult for Johnson to make a conscious decision about how to hold the ball, but holding the ball with one hand is what cost him the catch.
 In no way did transferring the ball help him come down with the catch. He unnecessarily used his left arm to break his fall. Had he held on to the ball with both hands and fell to the ground he would have never lost possession. And even if he did lose possession, we've seen it called a catch before when a receiver gets both feet down with possession and the ground causes a fumble.
In my opinion, if Johnson came down the exact same way he did with both hands on the ball and lost it when the ball hit the ground, that's ruled a catch.
Whether it was a bad call or not, let's put this game into perspective. This game isn't going to be the win that catapults the Bears into the playoffs, or the loss that keeps the Lions from reaching the playoffs. Both team will be lucky to win over five games. If anything, this good/bad call gave NFL fans something to talk about in an otherwise painful game to watch.
By the way, I'm convinced that a call like this could only go against a professional franchise in Detroit or Cleveland. I feel bad for Detroit, but best believe I'm enjoying this victory. Wins won't be easy to come by this year.